February 3, 2019

February 2, 2019

What happens to a newt carcass in the rain?

Today it was raining heavily. I noticed that the newts' outer brown layer of skin (epidermis?) peels off more quickly when it's raining or in wet road conditions. See the following observations for many examples of this:

https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/truthseqr/2019/2/2

Also, there were a lot of long twisted yellow remains (many without head, tail, or appendages). I wonder where the other body parts are? On car tires?

See the following project for more information on how to differentiate new vs. aged newt roadkill (for the purpose of obtaining an accurate death count):

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-decomp-study-lexington-reservoir-area

See the following umbrella project for more information about the massive roadkill problem at Lexington Reservoir:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-all-lexington-reservoir-area

Posted on February 3, 2019 10:24 AM by truthseqr truthseqr | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 15, 2019

Checked on Marked Carcasses

January 14, 2019 (Monday)
On Saturday, I marked 9 newt carcasses that were near the side of the road for the purpose of observing them over time as they decompose. Since there are hundreds and hundreds of carcasses and it's hard to tell them apart when they start decomposing, I've marked these few by putting a drop of purple nail polish beside them for easier identification.

It has been raining for days and the road was wet. I noticed that most of the carcasses that I identified on Saturday have decomposed into a slimy whitish gray mass that is almost unrecognizable as a newt. This is very fast decomposition compared to what I was seeing when there was no rain for a week.

What I've noticed so far:

  1. The bright orange/yellow belly color seems to fade to grayish-white within 2-3 days.
  2. The bright red blood is gone within 2 days.
  3. If carcasses were dessicated before the rain, they absorb water and actually make the carcass look fresher.
Posted on January 15, 2019 02:56 AM by truthseqr truthseqr | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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